Coal-handling system



'July 14-, 1925 1,546,177

- w. B.'MERCER com. HANDLING SYSTEM, I

Filed July 30.1923 5 sheets-s eet 1 VJITN E5558.

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ATTORN IY July 14, 1925 1,546,177 7 W. B. MERCER COAL HANDLING SYSTEM Filed July 30. 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 WITNESSES w- BY ATTORNEY WITNESSES i July 14,1925 1540.111

W. B. MERCIR GOAL HANDLING SYSTBI Filed July 30. 1923 5 Shasta-Sheet 4. Y

INVENTOR,

ATTORNIY July 14, 1925.

W. B. MERCER con. momma SYSTEM Filed July so, 1923 5 sheets-sheet 5 ngA/ENTOR, mBflencer VVI'I'NESSEBv Patented July 14, 19.25.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM B. MERCER, HUDSON, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO GIFFORD-WO'OD COM- PANY, OF HUDSON, NEW YOR A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

COAL-HANDLING- SYSTEM.

Applicationfiled July 30, 1923. Serial No. 654,761.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, IVILLIAM B. Mnncnn, a citizen of the United Stat-es, residing at Hudson, in the county of Columbia and State of New York, have invented a new and useful Coal-Handling System, of which the following is a specification. p

This invention relates to a system for handling coal, and other material of similar nature, where it is customary to store the same in large quantities.

In View of the unsettled conditionsin the coal industry, as well as the seasonal demand for fuel, it is necessary for large consumers and fuel dealers to accumulate and store large quantities of coal during the slack season, in order to be assured of an adequate supply during the season of great est demand. In consequence of these conditions, it had been necessary in cities, where ground space is limited and expensive, to use storage pockets or bins of considerable height. These bins are frequently con structed in the form of silos, usually of concrete, and extending upwardly or feet in height. The usual practice has been to elevate the coal to the tops of these silos, whence it is lowered in ladders or spirals which are comparatively expensive to install, and their operation is unsatisfactory by reason of their tendency to clog up with material unless they are made of such large size as to be impracticable.

The object of the present invention is to provide a system which may be installed at comparatively low cost, and which will handle this lump coal satisfactorily, without unnecessary breakage. In order to accomplish this object in the most expeditious manner, I have devised in one form of the invention a conveyer system having a gallery which is vertically adjhstable, and from which the coal as it is elevated may be discharged at any height desiredaccording to the position to whichthe gallery has been adjusted, and in combination with this con veyer and elevator system I have provided the storage bins or pockets with a series of inlet gates, arranged one above the other, from a point near the bottom of the pocket to the top thereof. Instead of em-- ploying bins or pockets,the coal could be delivered to piles on the ground and brought up to any height or extended to any length.

The arrangement by means of which the desired object is attained will be best understood from the following detailed de scription taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, which illustrate the preferred arrangement.

In the drawings Figure 1 represents a row of silos, with the elevator conveyer alongside thereof.

Figure 2 is a horizontal View taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1, but showing two rows of silos arranged parallel with the elevator conveyer therebetween.

Figure 3 is a view in side elevation. on an enlarged scale showing the invention applied to one silo, parts being shown in section.

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 3 showing a modified form of the invention. 'Figure 5 is an end elevation, looking from the right of Figure 1.

Figure 6 is a plan view of the pit and elevating mechanism, on an enlarged scale.

Figure 7 is a plan view of a gallery showing its relation to the rest of the system.

Referring to the detailed construction of the system shown in the drawings, the silos or storage pockets are designated by the numeral 10, and in proximity to these is located a track pit 11 into which the coal is directly discharged from the railway car. Leading from the pit 11 is an apron conveyer 12, Figur 3, which delivers the coal into the hopper 13, from which it is delivered to the improved conveyer and elevator, constituting an important part of my invention.

The conveyer elevator comprises a pair of endless chains 14:, on which are carried a series of buckets 15, of the usual construc tion, the buckets being arranged between the two strands of the chain. The chains 14 pass around lower sprockets 16 located beneath the hopper 13, and around a pair of sprockets 17 supported on the upperdeck 18 of the framework, which supports the elevating mechanism.

The upper sprockets 17 are carried at opposite ends of the deck 18, which, in the form shown in Figures 1 and 3, will be suiii ciently long to reach all of the pockets, silos, or cpiles into which the coal is to be delivere Intermediate the upper deck 18 and the ground a gallery 19 formed of a frame is mounted so that it may be raised and lowered vertically between the guideways 20. The gallery will extend the full length of the bins or piles as Figures 1 and 2 show. Located and mounted on the gallery are sprocket wheels 21 and 22 around which the chains it may pass, the last named sprocket wheels being so located that the upper and lower portions of the chains 14 are vertical, while the intermediate portion traversing the gallery 19 is horizontal, as shown at 23. The gallery 19 is also provided with a trough 2 linto which the coal is dumped from the buckets 15, as the latter are carried around the sprocket wheels 22 and 21. The trough 24: is provided with a number of depending chutes 25, each one of which is controlled by a door or gate 26 so that the coal may be selectively delivered from the trough 24 into any one of the chutes, and consequently be delivered to any one of the silos or the piles desired.

Each silo or storage pocket as shown is provided with a vertical series of hinged doors or inlet gates 27, about two or three feet apart, through which the coal may be delivered upon the opening of the door or gate. In the process of filling a silo, the gallery 19 will first be adjusted so that the coal will enter through the lowermost door or gate 27, and after the silo has filled to the level of this gate the latter is closed tightly, and the gallery will then be raised so that the coal may be delivered through the next gate 27, and so on until the filling of the silo is completed through the uppermost gate 27. The adjust-ment of the gallery 19 may be accomplished by means of cables 28 from which the gallery is suspended, .the upper ends of the cables being wound about a Windlass 29, by means independent of the elevating means. Of course the sprockets 21 and 22 will run on the chains 1% as the gallery is raised or lowered.

The particular means by which the gallery 19 is raised and lowered is of course immaterial to the invention. It is, however, desirable that non-friction means such as rollers 30 be provided for guiding the gallery within the guides 20, Figure 7-, and suit-able gearing 31 is provided upon the upper deck 18 for transmitting power to the elevator. This gearing may be operated by a motorlocated in any convenient position.

In the modification shown in Figure 4 the intermediate horizontal portion 32 oi the conveyor is comparatively short, and supported by a COIIIPZILHtlVGl)" short frame 33. The coal as it is discharged is delivered intoatrough 34, in which operates a separate conveyer 35, the operation of this conveyor being similar to the operation oi the horizontal portion 23 of the conveyer elevator, shown in Figure '3. p The Til-H1633 and trough 34 are supported by the cables 36, the upper ends of which are wound about a. Windlass 37 for adjusting the gallery vertically of the same, as in the form shown in Figure 3. The trough 3a is provided with one or more chutesSS for selectively delivering the coal into any one of the inlet gates of the silo. An additional chute, as indicated at 39, may also be provided for delivering coal from the gallery directl into a wagon.

It will be understood that the detailed construction of the conveyer, the means by which it is operated, therelative arrangement of the silos, the track pit, and hopper are immaterial to the present intention, which consists primarily in the provision of a vertically adjustable gallery so connected with "the conveyor elevator that it may be adjusted vertically with relation to the silo in connection with which it is used, so as to deliver the coal selectively into any one of the inlet gates of the silo.

It will also be understood that while I have described the system as used in connection with the handling of coal, the same principle may be used'in connection with the handling of any other material which is customarily stored in large quantities and with a minimum amount of ground space.

What is claimed is:

1. In a material handling system, the combination of an endless elevating-c011 veyer, upper and lower sprocket wheels around which the conveyor travels, intermediate vertically adjustable sprocket wheels over which the conveyor also travels, and airame in which the sprocket wheels are mounted, said frame having a trough onto which the material carried by the conveyer is discharged.

2. In a material handling system, the combination of an elevating conveyer, a gallery connected with the conveyer so that it may be adjusted vertically along the same and receive the material therefrom at any of its adjusted positions, said gallery being provided with a trough, said trough having a plurality of gates, and means for adjusting the gallery and trough vertic'al-ly= 3. In a material handling system, the combination of an endless elevating conveyer having a horizontal portion, a trough connected with the horizontal portion into which the material is discharged: by the conveyer, said trough being vertically adjustable, and aseries of gatesin said trough through which the material may be selectively discharged into one of a series of pockets.

4. In a material handling system, the combination of an elevating conveyer, a ve-rt-i cally movable frame associated with the conveyer, means for guiding the movement of the frame with relation to the conveyer, means for raising and lowering the frame,

ing horizontal, a trough in which the horizontal portion travels, and a series of gates in. said trough through which the material elevated by the conveyer may be selectively discharged.

6. In amaterial handling system, the combination. of an endless elevating conveyer, upper and lower sprocket wheels around which the conveyer travels, a gallery adjustable vertically between the upper and lower sprocket wheels and having a trough into which material elevated by the conveyer is discharged in all positions of said gallery, and a discharging chute leading from said gallery.

7. Inamaterial handling sy stem, the com bination of an endless elevating conveyor, upper and lower sprocket Wheels around which the conveyer travels, a. gallery having sprocket wheels mounted thereon and engaging with the chains of the conveyer and adjustable vertically between the upper and lower sprocket wheels and having a trough into which material elevated by the con- 'eyer is discharged in all positions of said gallery, and a discharging chute leading from said gallery.

8. In amaterial handling system, the combination of an endless elevating conveyer, upper and lower sprocket wheels, and a vertically adj ust-a-ble gallery having a trough into which material elevated by the conveyer is discharged: in all positions of said gallery, and a series of gates in. said trough through which the material elevated by the conveyer may be selectively discharged.

9. In a material handling system, the combination of a storage pocket having a plurality of inlet gates arranged vertically one above the other, an endless elevating conveyer having an intermediate horizontal portion, a gallery within which the horizontal portion is guided, and having a horizontal trough into which the material carried by the conveyer is discharged, means for adjusting said gallery to vary the elevation of said horizontal portion of the conveyer, and means for discharging the material from said trough into one or another of the inlets of the storage pocket, depending upon the adjustment of said llery.

10. In a material handling system, the combination of a storage pocket having a plurality of inlet gates arranged one above the other, an elevator associated therewith, and vertically adjustable means cooperating with the elevator to selectively discharge material therefrom into any one of the gates.

11. In a material handling system, the com bination of a plurality of storage pockets, each having a plurality of inlet gates ar ranged at different elevations, an elevator associated with the pockets, and vertically adjustable means cooperating with the elevator to selectively discharge material therefrom into any one of the gates in any one of the pockets.

12. In a material handling system, the combination of a plurality of storage pockets, each having a plurality of inlet gates arranged at different elevations, an elevator associated with the pockets, an upper deck of a length to extend along all the pockets, said deck carrying the guiding and driving means for the elevator, a vertically movable frame suspended below the deck and having sprocket wheels to run on the chains of the elevator, a trough carried by the frame having a series of gates, and means for vertically adjusting the frame, said trough receiving material from the elevator and discharging it at any elevation to which the frame may be adjusted.

13. In a material handling system, the combination of an endless elevating conveyer, upper and lower sprocket wheels around which the conveyer travels, a gal lery suspended between the upper and lower sprocket wheels and having intermediate sprocket wheels around which the conveyer travels, means for adjusting the gallery vertically without altering the relation of the conveyer thereto, and means carried by the gallery for receiving material from the elevator and discharging it at any elevation to which the gallery is adjusted.

14. In a material handling system, the combination of a storage pocket having a series of inlet gates at different elevations, an endless elevator, upper and lower sprocket wheels around which the elevator travels, a gallery vertically adjustable between the upper and lower sprocket wheels, a pluarlity of sprocket wheels mounted on the gallery around which the elevator travels, and means on the gallery cooperating with the elevator to deliver material from the latter through any oneof the inlet gates depending upon the height to which the gallery is adjusted.

In testimony, that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixed my signature.

WILLIAM B. MERGER. 

